NFL Player News

Brown (ankle) wasn't present for Thursday's practice, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Brown was limited Wednesday, but it's possible that his absence from practice Thursday is maintenance-related, rather than indicative of a setback. Friday's final injury report of the week will reveal whether the wideout approaches Sunday's game against the Lions with a Week 3 injury designation.

Cephus is expected to draw his second straight start Sunday against the Ravens after the Lions placed Tyrell Williams (concussion) on injured reserve Thursday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cephus has served as the primary replacement for Williams on the perimeter after the latter entered the concussion protocol upon taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from the 49ers' Jaquiski Tartt in the Lions' Week 1 loss. After producing a 3-12-1 line on six targets in the season opener, Cephus found the end zone again in the Week 2 loss to the Packers while hauling in four of seven targets for 63 yards. Tight end T.J. Hockenson still looks like the Lions' top priority in the passing game, but Cephus might be the most fantasy-friendly option in a Detroit receiving corps that may have the poorest collection of talent in the NFL. With Williams out of the picture through at least the Lions' Oct. 17 game against Cincinnati, Cephus should at the very least benefit from heavy snap shares over the next three contests, even if his weekly target volume isn't entirely bankable.

Gage (ankle) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice and is set to go down as a non-participant on the Falcons' official report, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Gage's ankle injury also kept him from practicing Wednesday, so he'll likely need to get on the field in some capacity Friday to avoid being ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants. If Gage ends up sitting out the Week 3 matchup, Tajae Sharpe could be the next man up to step in as Atlanta's top option out of the slot.

Hopkins (ribs) wasn't present for the open portion of Thursday's practice and is expected to go down as a non-participant on the Cardinals' official report, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The severity of Hopkins' rib injury isn't yet clear, but he's now opened the week with back-to-back absences at practice. In recent years, Hopkins has routinely sat out practices or handled light loads while managing minor injuries or even getting routine maintenance, so his lack of reps thus far in Week 3 doesn't necessarily put his availability for Sunday's game in Jacksonville in danger. The Cardinals will release their final practice report of the week Friday, which will provide more definitive word on the star wideout's status for Sunday.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Cooper (rib) will be a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Cooper checked out of the Cowboys' Week 2 win over the Chargers for two plays while tending to a bruised rib, finishing the day with an underwhelming 3-24-0 line on five targets. He'll benefit from a longer turnaround for the Week 3 contest with Dallas hosting the Eagles on "Monday Night Football," and the fact that Cooper will be on the field in some capacity for the Cowboys' first official practice of the week bodes well for his chances of starting and taking on a normal workload in the divisional matchup. Cooper would ideally turn in a full practice Friday or Saturday and enter the Week 3 matchup minus an injury designation.

Mickens (abdomen) did not practice Thursday, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Mickens has missed back-to-back sessions due to an abdominal issue, so he only has one more opportunity to upgrade his reps before Sunday's contest in Los Angeles. Jaelon Darden, who was inactive Week 2, could be in line to operate as Tampa Bay's top return man if Mickens misses time.

Johnson secured one of two targets for five yards across 17 snaps from scrimmage during the Buccaneers' 48-25 win over the Falcons on Sunday.

Through two games, Johnson has logged three targets overall, and he could be set for a nice bump in opportunity in a Week 3 showdown against the Rams. With Antonio Brown being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, there's a strong chance the veteran wideout misses at least the game versus Los Angeles, a development that would elevate Johnson to No. 4 receiver status, at minimum. It's also likely Johnson could essentially share No. 3 duties with Scotty Miller in such a scenario, considering he outpaced the latter -- who has yet to see a target over the first pair of contests -- by five snaps last week.

Miller, who didn't draw a target on 12 offensive snaps in the Buccaneers' Week 2 win over the Falcons, could be set for a bigger role in Week 3 against the Rams after Antonio Brown was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Brown still has an outside chance at being able to take the field Sunday; the veteran wideout is believed to be vaccinated and therefore will only need to produce two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart in order to be cleared. Absent that development, however, Miller would likely bump up to Brown's No. 3 role, with Tyler Johnson serving as the No. 4 option or perhaps even rotating in with Miller on occasion. Miller has yet to draw a target through two games, playing a total of 20 snaps from scrimmage.

Mickens didn't practice Wednesday due to an abdominal injury, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Mickens wasn't expected to practice Wednesday after picking up a hip injury during Sunday's win over the Falcons, but he ended up being listed on the injury report with an abdominal issue. The 27-year-old likely will need to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a chance of suiting up this weekend against the Rams.

Beckham (knee) was listed as a full practice participant Wednesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

In most cases, a player practicing fully to begin the week would foreshadow an active status on game day, but prior to session, head coach Kevin Stefanski fell short of declaring that Beckham would be able to play Sunday against the Bears, per Scott Patsko of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. If the Browns elect to have the wideout suit up this weekend, it's possible that he'll be eased back into the mix. Beckham's potential return arrives at a good time, with teammate Jarvis Landry (knee) out for at least three games due to a sprained MCL.